Page 68 of For Crosby

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The chill in the arena wrenched my breath out of me in white puffy clouds as I watched Crosby zigzag all over the empty ice with the puck at the end of his stick. He’d been practicing and working his butt off since he found out a scout would be at his next home game. He was determined to be at his best. Determined to stand out. And by the looks of it, he had nothing to worry about.

I’d seen him naked on more than one occasion, but the sight of him on the ice, moving with such grace and determination, was so damn hot. The way his legs carried him effortlessly across the rink. The way his arms maneuvered the stick as if it weighed nothing at all. The way he spun and swerved while remaining on his skates. A guy with those moves just knew what to do with his body, and I freaking loved it.

He skated to the side and stopped in front of the bench area where I sat alone. “Hey.”

“You look good out there.”

His cocky grin—the one I was becoming all too familiar with—slipped into place. “I look good everywhere.”

I groaned, secretly enjoying his cockiness.

He laughed. “Stop acting like you don’t love it.”

I stared him right in the eyes. “I don’t love it.”

“Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder again.”

My eyes widened as I grabbed hold of the edge of the bench beneath me. “You wouldn’t.”

He stepped up into the bench area, towering over me on his skates. “Try me.”

“There’s a fine line between sexy and arrogant.”

“Glad to hear I’ve mastered both.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You ready to get outta here?” he relented. “I’ve gotta get to work.”

“Sure.”

“Let me go drop off my stuff and I’ll meet you by the door.”

“You sure you don’t need help?” I asked with bouncing brows.

“You trying to kill me?”

“Kill you? No. Get in your pants. Yes.”

He laughed as he stepped back onto the ice and skated to the locker room.

I sat for a little while enjoying the quiet in the arena. I couldn’t wait to be there with the place packed with fans so I could cheer on Crosby. It was a heady feeling to know the guy on the ice was the guy I got to see at his sexiest. At his most vulnerable. At his best.

A bout of sadness swept over me. His teammates would be returning tomorrow to get a practice in before they traveled to Tennessee the following day. Our time on the deserted campus would be over and reality would set in. And that sucked. I’d gotten used to having the place to ourselves. To having Crosby to myself. To having no one around to ruin what we had.

I eventually stood and moved to the entrance. The pitter-patter of raindrops hit the glass doors. I stared out into the dark night. The rain came down hard, bouncing off the empty parking lot and creating puddles everywhere. I pushed open the door and stepped out into it. The bitter air mixing with the cold drops pricked the hairs on my arms.

“What are you doing?” Crosby asked, stepping outside behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder as he pulled off his sweatshirt. He held it above me, trying to create an umbrella. I ducked away from him and twirled around the parking lot with my arms spread wide and my face upward.

“It’s fifty degrees out here,” he called over the spray of rain.

I closed my eyes and continued to twirl, enjoying the solace of the rainstorm. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the rain.”

His arms unexpectedly slipped around my waist from behind and he lifted me off my feet. I giggled, enjoying not only the rain, but Crosby sharing the moment with me.

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